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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Representative Scoggin
HOUSE BILL NO. 356
AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL RISK MANAGEMENT TASK 1
FORCE; TO PROVIDE THAT THE TASK FORCE WILL CONTINUALLY STUDY 2
ENSURING AND ENHANCING RISK MANAGEMENT IN SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS AND 3
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST PRACTICES FOR PREVENTION AND RESPONSE; 4
TO PROVIDE THE DUTIES OF THE TASK FORCE; TO PROVIDE FOR THE 5
APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE TASK FORCE; TO REQUIRE THE TASK 6
FORCE TO REPORT ITS FINDINGS AND ANY RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE 7
LEGISLATURE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 8
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 9
SECTION 1. (1) There is created the Mississippi School Risk 10
Management Task Force for the purpose of the continual study of 11
ensuring and enhancing risk management in school environments for 12
administrators and the implementation of best practices for 13
prevention and response. 14
(2) The task force shall perform the following duties: 15
(a) Assess the needs of school districts regarding risk 16
management and response by gathering input from school board 17
members, administrators and other relevant stakeholders; 18
(b) Review emergency action plans currently in place 19
across Mississippi's school districts and identify if existing 20
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plans address temporary school planning if a school is destroyed 21
or damaged by a natural or manmade disaster; 22
(c) Recommend best practices for emergency response to 23
include in emergency action plans, including, but not limited to, 24
annual tabletop exercises for floods, tornados, hurricanes, 25
earthquakes, derechos, manmade disasters and other disaster types; 26
(d) Determine the feasibility of implementation of 27
and/or the necessity of exemptions or waivers for recommended risk 28
management strategies in private, religious, charter, military or 29
home schools; 30
(e) Review existing resources for risk management 31
across school districts and identify how school boards may work 32
with their local county emergency managers and the Mississippi 33
Emergency Management Agency to increase resources, including, but 34
not limited to, applying for grants under the FEMA Hazard 35
Mitigation Grant Program; 36
(f) Develop a plan for the implementation of emergency 37
action plans and the construction of safe rooms for any new school 38
construction in each school district; 39
(g) Ensure oversight for the implementation of 40
emergency action plans, safe rooms, and any other risk management 41
strategies identified by the task force by establishing a system 42
of review and recommending an agency or entity to monitor risk 43
management effectiveness and make needed improvements; and 44
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(h) Recommend relevant changes to Mississippi law and 45
other state and local policies that can be implemented by state 46
and local government entities to accomplish the goals of the task 47
force. 48
(3) The task force shall be composed of the following 49
twenty-seven (27) members: 50
(a) The Director of the Mississippi Emergency 51
Management Agency, who shall serve as the Chairman, and three (3) 52
members of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, one (1) of 53
whom shall be from the Public Assistance Office; 54
(b) The State Superintendent of Public Education, who 55
shall serve as the Vice Chairman, and four (4) members of the 56
State Department of Education, one (1) of whom shall be from the 57
Office of School Financial Services and one (1) of whom shall be 58
the Director of the Office of Safe and Orderly Schools within the 59
State Department of Education; 60
(c) The Chairmen of the Education Committees of the 61
House of Representatives and Senate; 62
(d) The Chairmen of the Judiciary A Committees of the 63
House of Representatives and Senate; 64
(e) Three (3) members of the State Department of 65
Health; 66
(f) A representative from the Office of the Governor; 67
(g) The Attorney General; 68
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(h) Six (6) county emergency managers, two (2) selected 69
from the northern, central and southern areas of the state; 70
(i) A school superintendent, appointed by the Governor 71
from the state-at-large; 72
(j) A representative of the Mississippi School Board 73
Association; 74
(k) A school resource officer, appointed by the 75
Governor from the state-at-large; 76
(l) A parent representative, appointed by the State 77
Superintendent of Public Education from the state-at-large; and 78
(m) A representative of the Mississippi Association of 79
School Superintendents. 80
(3) The members of the task force shall be appointed within 81
thirty (30) days of the effective date of this act. Any vacancy 82
on the task force shall not affect its powers but shall be filled 83
within thirty (30) days. The task force shall hold its first 84
meeting within sixty (60) days of the effective date of this act, 85
on a call of the chairman of the task force. A majority of the 86
membership of the task force shall constitute a quorum and shall 87
meet at the call of the chairman. All members must be notified in 88
writing of all meetings at least five (5) days before the date on 89
which a meeting of the task force is scheduled. 90
(4) Members of the task force shall receive a per diem in 91
the amount provided in Section 25-3-69 for each day engaged in the 92
business of the task force. Members of the task force, other than 93
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ST: Mississippi School Risk Management Task
Force; create.
the legislative members, shall receive reimbursement for travel 94
expenses incurred while engaged in official business of the task 95
force in accordance with Section 25-3-41 and the legislative 96
members of the task force shall receive the expense allowance 97
provided for in Section 5-1-47. 98
(5) The task force shall verify that each school district is 99
included in the local county emergency hazard mitigation plan. 100
(6) The task force shall report its findings and 101
recommendations, including any recommended legislation and funding 102
needs, to the Legislature annually not later than December 1 each 103
year. 104
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 105
and after its passage. 106